


a hundred thrown out speeches i almost said to you

by supersapphics



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25612666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersapphics/pseuds/supersapphics
Summary: When a pipe bursts in Rey's apartment, she needs to find another place to live for 5 weeks while her apartment is fixed.Unfortunately, none of her friends are able to help her, which is when the unlikely Prince Charming steps in: Rey's boss, Ben Solo.The problem? Ben seems to hate her.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, background Finn/Poe/Rose - Relationship
Comments: 28
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a re-upload from my previous account of the same name.
> 
> also, @alfreylo on twitter made me a lovely moodboard for this fic! i love it so much and i'm also really thrilled because this is the first time someone has ever made a moodboard for me! 

When Rey hung up with her landlord, the overdramatic part of her brain immediately decided today was the worst day of her life. A pipe bursting in her apartment? Five weeks where she’d have to find another place to live? What on earth was she going to do? She wouldn’t have to pay for any of the damages, or for the construction work, but still…

Then her brain calmed somewhat as she remembered that she had friends. Friends who’d be happy to give her a place to stay, she was certain of it. With that in mind, she jumped out of her chair and made her way across the office floor to Rose’s desk.

“Hey babe, what’s the with the long face?” Rose asked when Rey dropped into the empty chair in the unoccupied cubicle across from hers.

“A pipe burst in my apartment,” Rey replied grimly, rolling her chair closer to her friend. “I don’t have to pay for any of it, thank god, but my landlord said I’ll need to find somewhere else to live for about five weeks while they fix everything.”

“Oh no, sweetie, I’m so sorry. You know I’d love to give you our couch, but….with the move and everything…the entire place is covered in boxes.”

“Right.” Rey grimaced; she can’t believe she forgot about that. She glanced down at Rose’s round belly. Her best friend was seven months pregnant, and she and her partners were moving into a bigger apartment soon. Rey smiled as she stared at her friend’s belly, already imagining what a great mother Rose would be – and what great fathers her partners, Poe and Finn, would make.

“What about Kaydel and Jannah?” Rose asked, returning Rey’s smile when she saw what her gaze was focused on.

“They’re out of town – on vacation. Won’t get back for another three weeks.”

“I’m sure they’d love to give you their couch once they get back. But until then, maybe you could try putting up a sign in the kitchen? I’m sure there’s someone in the office who you could crash with.”

“Yeah, that seems like my only option, doesn’t it? No way I can afford a hotel for three weeks.” Rey rose to her feet, sighing.

“I’m sorry, hon,” said Rose, tilting her head up to meet Rey’s eyes with a sympathetic frown.

“No, it’s ok, it’s for the best this way. This way I don’t have to help you move.” Rey grinned and avoided Rose’s playful swat before she made her way back to her computer to print out a sign to hang up in the communal kitchen.

A few hours later, Rey returned to the kitchen, partially with the intention of refilling her mug of tea, and partially due to curiosity if anyone had filled out her sign. After she’d started the electric kettle, she wandered over to the billboard on the wall where she’d hung up her sign-up sheet, pleased when she saw that 3 of the 5 blank spaces she’d created were filled out.

Her spirits dimmed, however, when she saw that the first space had been filled out by Hux Armitage from legal. She couldn’t stand Hux – he was a massive bigot, and he leered at her every time they passed in the hallway.

The name of the next person she didn’t recognize, which she didn’t like. She really didn’t want to spend the next three weeks living with a stranger.

The third name was – Ben Solo. Rey stared at the handwritten scribble – much more neat than she would have expected for a man – unable to believe it. Ben Solo wasn’t a colleague, he was her boss – or more actually, her boss’s boss’s boss. Why on earth would he sign her paper? Did he even know who she was? They’d maybe passed each other in the kitchen sometimes, nodded at each other in the hallway, but did he even know her name? Why would he just willingly sign a paper agreeing to let a practical stranger live with him for three weeks?

As if he’d been summoned, Ben suddenly entered the kitchen. Rey couldn’t help the little gasp she let slip, and Ben gave her a startled look in response. Then his gaze slid over to the billboard, and she saw comprehension fill his eyes.

“Any luck finding a roommate?” Ben asked, in his quiet, deep voice. She’d only ever heard that voice in company-wide meetings, all of which were conducted online. This was her first time hearing it in person, and she wasn’t exactly surprised when a little shiver made its way down her spine. It was a _nice_ voice.

“Hux Armitage from legal,” Rey answered, her voice trembling just slightly from nerves at being alone with the most superior rank in this building.

Ben frowned at that. “Absolutely not. He’s a prick.”

Rey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Ben’s candor, but she quickly continued speaking before her reaction could cause any awkwardness. “And someone named Jackson Hill, no idea who he is.”

Ben winced. “He’s an….interesting person. He collects ant farms.”

“Oh.” Rey looked down at her hands, having no idea what to say now. Maybe that’s why she blurted out the next thing: “I can’t afford a hotel though, so maybe ant farms aren’t too b –”

Ben interrupted her. “What do you mean, you can’t afford a hotel? I know what your salary is. Your salary should allow you to –”

“I have student loans. They take up a large chunk of my salary, to be honest.” She still doesn’t know why she’s telling him this. Something about his voice was so soothing to her.

Ben was still frowning. “Even more reason for you to move in with me. You wouldn’t have to pay me rent or contribute to groceries or anything. I’d take care of everything.”

“I – no, Ben – sir? – I couldn’t possibly –”

“Ben,” he said firmly. “And yes, you could possibly. In fact, I insist.”

Perhaps he mistook the widening of her eyes for some other meaning, because his own eyes widened in response. “No, I – I don’t mean to say that I’m forcing you. I’m not trying to be your boss right now, I just – I have room at my place and I’d just, I’d just be happy to help you out if I could.”

Rey bit her lip as she deliberated. Living with her boss – her boss’s boss’s boss – for three weeks, rent free? She wasn’t sure she felt comfortable owing someone like that. On the other hand, she really didn’t want to live with Jackson and his ant farms. And she _really_ couldn’t afford a hotel. At least until Kaydel and Jannah returned from vacation, this seemed like her best option.

“Then I accept. Thank you, sir.”

“Ben,” he reminded her. “You can call me Ben.”

“Ok. Thank you, Ben.” She gave him a small, tentative smile.

He didn’t return it. He just inclined his head in a small nod and turned to leave. “My limo will be waiting outside the main entrance at 6:00 pm.”

“I usually take the subway,” she told him – again, she wasn’t sure why. What was the reason for rejecting a _limousine_ in favor of the subway?

Ben gave her a strange look, like he couldn’t believe what she’d just said. She was willing to bet Ben had never set foot inside any type of public transportation in his life.

“Not while living with me, you won’t,” Ben said simply, and then he was gone.

Rey stood stunned for several moments after he’d left. Had that just happened? Had _Ben Solo,_ the executive VP of Organa Enterprises, just offered to let her live with him for nearly a month? _Free of charge?_

The kettle alerted her then that it was finished boiling her water. Startled, Rey jumped into action, adding the tea bag and milk before scurrying out of the kitchen and back to Rose’s cubicle to tell her best friend the news.


	2. Chapter 2

At 6:03 pm, Rey stepped outside the front door of the building to find Ben’s limo waiting, just like he’d promised. The man in question was leaning against the side of the car and straightened up when he saw her.

“You’re late,” Ben said in lieu of a greeting.

Rey looked down at the time on her phone, surprised. “It’s 6:03,” she told him, tone uncertain at what he was implying.

“Your shift is only from 9:00 to 6:00, therefore I expected you at 6:00.”

Rey swallowed nervously. “I logged out of my computer at six. It took me the extra three minutes to walk here.”

Ben just stared at her for one long, tense moment. Then, without responding, he turned and opened the door to the limo, gesturing for her to climb in.

“Thank you.” Rey slid into the backseat, awkwardly gathering her purse and lunchbox into her lap as she did. A moment later, the door on the other side of the car opened, and Ben slipped inside to the seat next to hers. He gestured to the driver and a moment later, the car began to move.

“Where is your apartment located?” Ben asked a few minutes later, when they were immobile at a stop light.

“Washington Heights.”

“Hmm,” was all Ben said, before he turned his head away from her and lapsed back into silence.

Rey frowned at the side of his head. What on earth? His tone had come across as a bit dismissive, as if he was implying something negative about living in Washington Heights.

“And you?” Rey asked, keeping her gaze fastened on her lap. “Where is this limo taking us?”

“The Upper East Side, of course.”

“Of course,” Rey murmured, quietly enough that Ben didn’t appear to hear it.

When they arrived at Ben’s brownstone (yes, brownstone – Rey almost had a heart attack when she realized), Ben bent at the driver’s window to have a brief, murmured conversation with him, but otherwise ignored Rey completely. She couldn’t understand why, and it really bothered her. He’d spoken to her in the kitchen at work – awkwardly, yes, but he’d still done it. Now, it was like he was giving her the silent treatment. Had she offended him so much with her three minutes of tardiness? By mentioning that she lived in a less affluent neighborhood than he did? The first seemed so trivial to her that it was barely worth mentioning, and the second was to be expected – he was the vice president of the company, and she was a simple employee.

Those thoughts flew straight out of her head when they entered his apartment, which took up the entire second floor. It was without a doubt the most gorgeous place she had ever seen. Maple wood floors, granite countertops in the kitchen, wide open spaces – she knew she was probably standing there with her mouth open like a fool, but she couldn’t help it. She’d never been so awestruck.

When she turned to look at Ben, she was startled to discover that he was gone. She turned a full circle searching for him, but he was nowhere in sight. Hesitantly, she stepped into the living room and gently lowered her duffel bag to the floor. They’d stopped at her apartment on the way here so she could pack some clothes and toiletries, and she’d felt self-conscious the entire time, unable to stop herself from imagining what Ben, sitting outside in the limo, must be thinking.

She was just debating with herself whether she dared sit on the couch or not, when Ben reentered the room. He didn’t speak with her, he simply sat down in the armchair diagonal from the couch, picked up the laptop on the coffee table in front of him, and began typing away.

Rey stared at him. Had he never had a houseguest before? Did he not know that he was supposed to make his guest comfortable before himself?

Ben seemed to feel his gaze on her then; he looked up at her then, his eyebrows rising when he saw the look on her face (she assumed she looked very irritated).

“Is something wrong?”

“Well, you’re…working. It’s 7 pm.”

“Yes…” Ben drew out the word, clearly not understanding what she was getting at.

“Work ended an hour ago.”

“For you, perhaps. I usually work until nine or ten.”

She felt comfortable enough to sit on the couch now. “You can’t be serious. Do you ever take time to relax?”

“Sometimes on Sundays.”

“You work weekends too?!”

He looks at her pityingly, as if she’d said something colossally naïve. “I’m the executive VP, Rey. I can’t afford to take weekends off.”

She’d felt a smile emerging on her face, having been enjoying the banter between herself and Ben, but that smile quickly vanished at the patronizing tone of Ben’s voice. She suddenly remembered that this was her boss – her superior three times over, to be precise – and she couldn’t just sit around and playfully argue with him.

She drew back from him physically as well, not realizing until she did so that she’d been leaning forward as she talked to him.

“I, um, I’m a bit tired. I think I’d like to go to bed now.” She scooted over to the other side of the couch so she could grab her duffel bag off the floor.

“Sure.” Ben’s voice sounded a bit surprised in response to the abrupt change of topic, but he still rose from his chair and gestured for her to follow him. He led her upstairs to a large loft with a heavenly looking queen-sized bed, bureau and nightstand. Rey could see a much shorter staircase on the other side of the loft, leading down to a spacious landing with two doors.

“The door on the left is my bedroom, the one on the right is the restroom,” said Ben, pointing unnecessarily. “I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”

“Thanks,” said Rey softly. She padded over to the bed and set her duffel bag down. Then she looked back up at Ben. “And thanks again for letting me stay here. I really appreciate it.” Rude and condescending he might be, but that didn’t negate her gratefulness.

“You’re welcome.” Ben seemed awkward again, like he’d been in the kitchen back at work. “Well, sleep well.”

The statement came across a bit ridiculous, considering it was barely a quarter past seven in the evening, so Rey merely nodded in acknowledgement and turned back to her bag. She could hear Ben’s footsteps descending back down the staircase as she ruffled through her clothes and –

“Shit.”

“Rey?”

God, this was embarrassing. How could she have been so careless? She supposed she’d been rushing to pack earlier, knowing Ben was waiting outside, and had been more focused on what outfits she’d be working to work, making sure she had enough underwear and such, that she’d completely blanked on pajamas.

“Is something wrong?” Ben asked, his voice much closer this time. She looked over her shoulder and saw him hovering at the other end of the bed.

Well, there was no use. She’d either have to tell him the truth or sleep in her work clothes.

“I…kind of forgot to pack pajamas.”

“Oh. Well, hang on, I can lend you some.” Ben disappeared down the opposite staircase before Rey could respond. When he returned, he was holding a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, which he offered to her wordlessly.

“Thanks.”

“Sure. Well, goodnight. If you get hungry, help yourself to anything in the fridge.”

She nodded and stared down at the clothes bunched up in her hands so she wouldn’t have to look at Ben. She was confused – he was being nice now, not at all the patronizing ass he’d been during the limo ride or earlier in the living room. What was his deal?

When she glanced up again, Ben was gone. A few moments later, she could hear the faint sound of him typing away at his laptop again. Sighing, Rey shed her work clothes and slipped into Ben’s clothes. They felt soft against her skin – obviously worn in, loved. She couldn’t help herself – she grabbed a fistful of the tank top and lifted it to her nose for a nice deep sniff. She didn’t smell much besides the faded scent of detergent, but it was nice all the same. Feeling a bit calmer now, she grabbed her phone out of her jeans pocket and climbed into the bed, which was felt just as luxurious as it looked.

Around 9:30, she grew bored with all of her apps and decided to go to sleep early. When she switched off the lamp on her nightstand and settled down in the bed, she could still hear Ben typing.


	3. Chapter 3

Rey’s alarm went off the next morning at 7:15. When she rolled over onto her side, she realized she’d kicked off the sweatpants sometime during the night, which made sense – she tended to run hot at night.

She yawned and scrubbed her hands over her face, not really sure why she was still tired even though she’d gotten so much sleep. She’d probably feel better once she had a cup of coffee, she told herself as she climbed out of the bed.

Ben’s tank top was rather big on her, coming down to mid thigh, plus she couldn’t hear any movement from him in the kitchen, so she figured it was safe to go down sans the sweatpants.

The kitchen was empty when Rey arrived, just like she’d been expecting. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and then rummaged in the cabinets, looking for cereal or PopTarts, but found none. That was disappointing – what on earth was she supposed to eat?

She did find some bread in the fridge, so she was able to make herself some toast, but her second search turned up no Nutella or peanut butter. What was she supposed to put on her toast – butter? What was wrong with Ben’s taste in breakfast foods?

She was munching glumly on her buttered toast when Ben entered the kitchen. She could hear his footsteps approaching, and then suddenly they skidded to a halt. Rey looked over her shoulder in confusion and saw him positively glowering at her.

“Good morning?” she offered tentatively.

“What are you eating?” he said in response, his voice practically oozing irritation. What could he possibly be irritated about? she wondered. They’d only been interacting for ten seconds.

“Oh, um, buttered toast. I was looking for PopTarts, to be honest, but you don’t seem to have any?”

That just made things worse. Ben gave her a look of utter disgust and, without saying another word, stormed over to a row of cabinets and pulled out a couple of pans, which he slammed down on the stovetop. He drizzled some oil into the one of the pans, then reached into another cabinet and began pulling things out – Rey didn’t really pay attention to what these things were, being in too much shock. What the hell had she done to offend him so seriously? Did Ben harbor some sort of irrational hatred toward PopTarts? Or was he angry with her for being poor and having a limited diet she could afford, which was really rude of him, it’s not like the student loans were her _fault_ –

After a few minutes, Ben stomped back toward her and tipped the pan toward her plate. A large omelet slid onto her plate – and no ordinary omelet. A quick tap with her fork revealed that it was filled with cheese and a variety of vegetables. Rey looked up at Ben in surprise. “You made this for me?”

“PopTarts are _not_ a sufficient breakfast. Neither is toast. You need to eat something substantial,” Ben told her, so sternly it sounded exactly like being lectured. Rey frowned at his tone, but her mood was softened a bit by the fact that he’d made her breakfast from scratch.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and before Ben could reply, she dug her fork into the omelet and scooped up a big bite. It was delicious, just like she’d expected, and she made an appreciative noise before looking up at Ben to give him a smile.

“This is delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ben replied, and then he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen without another word. Rey stared after him for a moment, confused and irritated again, but a second later she decided Ben’s behavioral issues weren’t important to her right now, and she’d rather focus on the omelet. So that’s what she did.

Rey had no idea how anyone found out, but when she and Ben arrived at the office a couple of hours later, a great amount of people seemed to be standing in the hallways, and immediately broke out into whispers when the two of them stepped into view.

“They’re all staring,” Rey whispered to Ben.

“Yes,” said Ben, sounding completely unconcerned. “Ignore them.” They had reached his office door. “I need to work now. I’ll see you outside at 6:03 pm. Goodbye.” Without waiting for her response, he opened his door and stepped inside, shutting the door in her face.

“Are you ok?” Rose asked when Rey dropped heavily into the chair at the opposite cubicle.

“Yeah, I guess. Better than this person, anyway.” She patted the arm of the chair. “How are they never here whenever I come by?”

“You somehow always have impeccable timing and only show up whenever they’re in the kitchen or the bathroom,” Rose explained, smirking a little. “So, you’re really ok? I heard that a bunch of people were waiting for you two when you arrived.”

“Yeah, and Ben didn’t really take it well.”

“Ben?” Rose repeated, raising her eyebrows.

“He insists I call him that. It’s a bit weird.”

“So how was it? Was he a good host?”

“Yes and no. He can be really nice, like when he made me breakfast or offered me pajamas after I forgot mine. But he can also be a real asshole. Condescending. Like when I told him I live in Washington Heights or that I eat PopTarts for breakfast.”

“Jesus, who doesn’t eat PopTarts for breakfast?!” Rose exclaimed, so loudly that a couple of people poked their heads over the tops of their cubicles to glare at her. Rose stuck out her tongue at them and they returned to their chairs.

“Anyway, I should probably get to my desk,” Rey said with a resigned sigh. “Talk to you later.”

Unfortunately, Rey was unable to concentrate all day. She was still able to create spreadsheets and send emails like normal, but everything was performed on autopilot; she had Ben at the back of her mind the entire time. She couldn’t stop thinking about the omelet he had made her this morning; even though he’d been rather rude in the delivery, the fact that he’d taken the time to make her breakfast after she’d mentioned she couldn’t find anything satisfactory to eat (and she had to admit, the omelet had been better than PopTarts). She also couldn’t help but wonder what tonight would be like. Maybe Ben would have learned from his mistakes yesterday and put in the effort to make tonight more enjoyable…

When 6 pm finally rolled around, she heaved a huge sigh of relief and quickly turned off her computer, grabbed her purse and lunchbox, and half-jogged toward the main entrance. Just like yesterday, Ben was waiting for her, leaning against the door of his limo.

“6:02,” Ben remarked as she approached him. “A minute earlier than yesterday.”

“How do you get out here so fast, then?” Rey retorted.

“My office is right there,” said Ben, pointing to a large window right next to the door Rey had just exited through.

“Oh.” Well, Rey had no good comeback for that. She ducked her head to avoid Ben’s gaze as he opened the limo door for her.

As a result, she was quiet on the way home, merely staring out the window with her chin in her hand. A few times she thought she could sense Ben’s eyes on the back of her head, but she strictly forbade herself from looking back.

When they walked through the door of the apartment, Ben immediately strode toward the kitchen and turned on the oven.

“Do you have any allergies?” he asked over his shoulder.

“No. Why?” Rey dropped her bag on the floor next to the couch and went to stand at Ben’s side.

Ben gently pressed against Rey’s shoulder, pushing her away. “Let me take care of this. You sit and try not to miss your PopTarts too much.”

Rey rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything as she went to take a seat at the kitchen island. Ben’s tone hadn’t sounded too condescending – in fact, it had almost sounded teasing (if she hadn’t known better). She leaned forward on her elbows to watch Ben, but unfortunately she couldn’t see much – Ben’s ridiculous brickhouse body was blocking everything.

Ben moved back and forth between the fridge and the stove, removing things from the fridge and adding them to his frying pan, taking out a pot, filling it with water, then returning to the fridge. After several minutes of studying him, during which Rey honestly didn’t feel bored for a single moment, Ben approached the island with two plates loaded with grilled chicken pasta.

Rey’s jaw practically dropped. “You made that?!”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “It’s hardly a big deal. This took less than 30 minutes.”

That surprised her; she couldn’t believe she’d watched him cook for nearly half an hour without any sense of time passing by. Feeling bashful, she accepted a plate from him and dug into her food.

Whereas Rey gulped down her food without barely chewing it, Ben took his time, twirling the noodles carefully around the tines of his fork and chewing meticulously. When Rey’s plate had been cleaned, Ben’s was still half full, something that didn’t escape his attention. He smirked at her.

“You were hungry, I assume?”

“Let’s just go with that.” Rey rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

“Is it not the truth?”

“Well, not the whole truth. It’s just that I don’t normally eat dinners that good.”

“ _Please_ don’t tell me you eat PopTarts for dinner as well,” Ben said with a little groan.

“No.” Rey’s lips twitched. “Usually just a PB&J sandwich. Or a bowl of cereal.”

Ben dropped his head into his hands and shook his head in overdramatic exasperation. “It’s a good thing you’re staying here for the next five weeks, then.”

“Yeah.” Rey smiled slightly. “I guess it is.”

Rey had enjoyed their dinnertime conversation so much that when Ben went to the living room and picked up his laptop, she felt her heart sink. He was going to work? Again? Why was he so against spending some time with her? Sure, he was her boss and maybe he didn’t want to cross any boundaries, but then it didn’t make sense for him to make her dinner and have a conversation with her during said dinner either. He didn’t have to make her breakfast or ride in the same limo with her. What was the line for him? How did he make these decisions about when he to treat her like an equal and when to treat her like a barely tolerated roommate?

Somehow, Ben seemed to notice her mood, because only a couple of minutes had passed before he looked up from his laptop. “Is something wrong?”

“Have you never taken a night off?”

“I’m the boss. This company deserves my attention nearly 24/7.”

Rey wasn’t sure what look crossed her face, but it must have been bad, because Ben actually looked concerned.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just…” Rey crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her feet, not sure how to answer. How honest was she allowed to be? “I just sometimes get the feeling you….” No, she couldn’t say that. “I could take the subway to and from work, you know. And make my own dinners.”

“Why would you do that?” Ben asked, sounding puzzled.

“So, you know, I wouldn’t inconvenience you.” She winced as soon as the word left her lips. Was that too blunt? Could she get fired for this?

“Rey, you don’t – you don’t inconvenience me. Did I give you that impression somehow?”

When Rey hesitated, Ben frowned and added, “You can speak freely, I promise.”

“You just always seem annoyed with me…like this morning when I wanted to eat PopTarts, or when I told you where I lived. I can’t tell if it’s something about my behavior or my personality that bothers you, or if it’s just…I don’t know…that I’m just too poor for you…um…” Rey looked down at her feet again, too humiliated to go further.

The silence from Ben’s side stretched on for so long that Rey found it necessary to look up again. And when she did, Ben looked absolutely stunned. It was obvious from his expression that everything Rey had just said to him had complete as a complete and total surprise. What did that mean? Did that mean he didn’t actually hate her?

“Rey, I…I’m really sorry. I never meant to make you think that I was annoyed with you or didn’t like you. That was my mistake, my…failure. Because I don’t have any problem with you whatsoever. In fact, all my problems are with myself.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I’m – not good with people. Especially women. I get really nervous and don’t know what to say or how to act. So I guess it comes across as me being grumpy or standoffish or…or a dick.”

Rey’s lips twitched in a slight smile. “What reason do you have to be nervous, though? I mean, if we’re being honest, you’re really good looking, you know how to cook, you’re rich, and you can be pretty sweet when you don’t think about it too hard.”

“You really think so?” Ben asked, rather shyly.

“Yes!” Rey laughed a little. “Just remember that next time you want to chat up a woman. Then you won’t be nervous and you won’t come across as asshole and drive her away.”

“Ok,” said Ben quietly. “That’s good advice, thank you. And I’m sorry, again. I promise I’ll try to be a better host.”

“That’s great. Because if it gets too difficult for you, I have these friends I can stay with once they get back from vacation…”

“Won’t be necessary,” Ben interrupted. “I want to you to stay, Rey. Please.”

She smiled at him, genuinely this time. “Thank you, Ben. Then I will.”

“Great.” Ben smiled back and for a moment they just stood there smiling at one another. Ben was the first to look away, but when he did, all he did was glance down at his laptop, then up at her again. “I don’t have to work anymore tonight. Do you – want to watch a movie, maybe?”

“I’d love to.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Do you want to go to the movies with me and the hubbies tonight?” Rose asked.

Rey pressed her phone closer to her ear. “I’d love to, but I already have plans tonight.”

“Plans?” Rose repeated, sounding practically giddy. “You have plans? Tonight? That’s great!”

“Christ, you’re making it seem I never have any plans whatsoever. I can be fun, you know.”

“Oh, I know. But you still haven’t told me who the plans are with, which is why I’m excited.”

Rey hesitated for a second before explaining, “The plans are with Ben, actually.”

“Ben Solo? That Ben? When did this start? I thought he was being an asshole to you!”

“He was, but I gave him a bit of a talking to yesterday, and then during my lunch break today, he invited me out tonight.”

“This is amazing! Where is he taking you?”

“I don’t know yet. He said it’s a surprise.”

Rose squealed so loudly that Rey had to pull the phone away from her ear. “This is so romantic!”

“It is _not._ He’s just being nice, because he feels bad about being a bad host at first.”

“Uh huh. Sure. Think about it this way – he’s your boss and he let you stay with him. He handmakes your every meal. He lets you ride with him in his limo every day. And now he’s taking you out tonight for a surprise?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Sure, Rose. Listen, you’re pregnant, so I’m going to take it easy on you with this one. But believe me, Ben is _not_ interested in me like that. He’s just a nice guy doing me a favor, that’s all.”

“I’ll bet you 20 bucks.”

“Good _bye,_ Rose.” Rey hung up the call, but not before the sound of Rose’s giggling burst over the line. Rolling her eyes, Rey set her phone down and stepped up to the floor-length mirror propped against the wall opposite her bed. What she’d told Rose was true – Ben hadn’t clued to her in to where they were going, but he had told her to dress comfortably.

Still…she wanted to look pretty. She didn’t know. Why did it matter if Ben thought she looked pretty? He was her _boss._ And all that other stuff she’d told Rose. But still.

That’s why she’d chosen a light blue sundress dotted with a pattern of cherries. She’d tied her hair back with a matching blue ribbon and finished the look off with white sandals. It was a comfortable outfit, and she was pretty she looked nice, at least.

“Rey?” She heard Ben’s voice calling from the lower floor. “You said you don’t have any allergies, right?”

“Nope, I don’t,” she called back, then frowned. “Why?”

“No reason.” Yeah, Ben was a bad liar. That sounded really shifty.

“I’m coming down,” she told him, to give him a chance to hide whatever he was working on, if need be. She took a deep breath and gave her reflection in the mirror one more glance before she descended the stairs.

Ben had his back to her – in fact he had the front door to the apartment open and appeared to be rummaging with something in the hallway (conveniently out of her view). Rey watched him for a moment, but after it became evident that he hadn’t heard her approach, she cleared her throat to grab his attention.

Ben spun around to face her. The second his landed on her eye, his jaw dropped. His eyes literally raked up and down her body, quickly at first, then more slowly. When his gaze finally reached her face for the second time, Rey could feel herself blushing.

“You look great,” said Ben after a few more seconds of charged silence. “Really great.”

“Thanks. Is what I’m wearing ok for where we’re going? Since you didn’t tell me where we’re going,” she said teasingly.

“What you’re wearing is perfect.” Ben cleared his throat and stepped out of the way to show her what he’d been hiding.

Now it was Rey’s turn for a jaw drop. Parked in the hallway were two bicycles. One was rather larger than the other and had a wicker basket attached to the back. They both looked brand new, at least to her. What was going on? When had he had the time to buy these bikes, anyway?

“I remember you mentioning the other day that you wished you could go bike riding but couldn’t afford a bike, so…I had my driver pick these up for us. Do you want to take a ride together?”

“I would love to! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! I don’t think I’ve ridden a bike since I moved to the U.S.” Rey grabbed the bike by the handlebars and was just about to climb on when she remembered they were still in the hallway outside Ben’s apartment and not outside. She stepped away from the bike, feeling a little flustered, to see Ben smiling at her in a way that seemed almost…fond.

Ben took her to Central Park. The bike ride was lovely – there had been a light breeze playing across her face and through her hair, and a few times Ben had glanced at her over his shoulder and grinned, as if challenging her. She’d found herself laughing and increasing her tempo every time, and although he’d arrived at the park before her, she was confident that his very long longs had given him an unbeatable advantage.

They parked their bikes and Ben removed the wicker basket from his, showing her the picnic set-up tucked inside. There were sandwiches, various fruits, chips and sweets, and two bottles of lemonade. Rey looked up at Ben in surprise only to see him spreading out a blanket on the grass.

“You prepared all of this?” Rey asked.

Ben nodded. “It’s such a nice day outside, I thought it would be a shame to waste it inside. And to be honest, I wasn’t really in the mood to cook tonight, so…”

“So, you prepared this smorgasbord instead,” Rey concluded. “I’m very pleasantly surprised, Ben. This is very nice.”

Ben smiled, a little color appearing in his cheeks. “I’m glad. Well, dig in. Maybe after we eat, we could take a little walk?”

“Sounds great.” Rey beamed at Ben and he grinned back.

“Ok, my turn. Favorite Disney movie when you were a kid?”

“Oh, _Sleeping Beauty_ for sure.”

Rey raised an eyebrow. “Really? To be honest I wasn’t expecting that.”

Ben shrugged. “I had a sort of rough childhood. My parents loved me but…well, I don’t really want to get into it. It was just rough. I used to feel like I was trapped and couldn’t get out. Just like Aurora.”

Rey stopped walking, surprised at Ben’s honesty. Unfortunately, this wasn’t exactly the best thing to do, since she and Ben were on the middle of a busy sidewalk. Almost immediately, several of the people behind her bumped shoulders with her, some of them rather roughly. Ben quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her against his side to shield her. Once the crowd thinned a little, Ben released her, but not quickly enough to prevent her from getting a nice whiff of his cologne. God, did he smell good.

“You ok?” Ben checked, waiting for Rey’s nod before they continued walking again.

“Fine. Thanks for the quick rescue. Especially for this guy.” Rey held up her hot dog, which, miraculously, was still coated with the same amount of mustard as it had been previously.

Ben chuckled. “As long as your hot dog is ok.”

“Hey, this is our lunch break. I intend to spend the entire said break eating lunch.”

“Oh, I know,” said Ben dryly. “I was the one who bought you the burger you ate before this. And the grilled cheese sandwich before that.”

“Well.” Rey took a big bite of hot dog, smearing mustard across her mouth that she quickly licked away. “Since you were so honest a minute ago, I’ll do the same. I grew up hungry on an almost constant basis. That lasted until about halfway through university, when I met Rose and everyone else. So now I just eat however much I want, whenever I want.”

She looked up at Ben hen to see him staring at her with an almost alarming intensity. Feeling a little flustered, she asked, “Do I have something on my face? Mustard?”

“No,” Ben replied quickly, seeming a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and then added, more calmly, “I’m just sorry you went through that.”

She shrugged. “I’m sorry you did too.”

He shrugged back at her but said nothing in response. Rey returned her focus to her hot dog and was down to the last couple of bites when Ben suddenly blurted out, “I can make sure you never go hungry again.”

Rey’s head snapped up to look at him. She could make out a blush beginning to form on Ben’s face, but other than that, she has no idea what he meant by his comment or how he’s expecting her to respond. What should she say? What does he want her to say? Does she need to say anything?

Before she could reach a decision, Ben spoke first. “I just meant – because we see each other everyday. With work. And, you know, you live with me right now, and I cook for you, so…I can be sure you’re eating.”

“Right,” Rey said, noticing their work building right up ahead. She swallowed down her sigh of relief, not wanting Ben to hear it. “Well, thanks again for lunch, it was really fun. See you this evening?”

“See you,” said Ben, and flashed her the softest, sweetest smile she’d ever seen. It was enough to make Rey nearly crash into the glass front doors of the building. Luckily she managed to steady herself before it happened, waved off Ben’s worried “are you ok?”, mumbled an excuse about just having remembered an important meeting, and literally ran away.

“We have a problem,” Rey announced. She paused in surprise when she noticed that Rose wasn’t alone at her cubicle – instead both of her husbands were sitting beside her.

“Finn! Poe. I didn’t know you’d be visiting today.”

“They surprised me with lunch,” Rose explained, beaming. “They were hoping to see you too, actually. I know the four of us haven’t been able to spend much time together lately due to…” Rose pointed at her round belly.

“Well, here I am,” said Rey, sinking into the chair Finn offered her. “And don’t worry, Rose. I know nothing else is more important right now than this little guy.” She rolled forward in her chair to rub her hands across Rose’s stomach.

“Didn’t you just say you have a problem?” Poe asked.

“Oh. Right.” Rose bit her lip, hesitating. She looked over her shoulder, but none of their coworkers were paying any attention to them. Still, she rolled her chair closer to the others anyway and said in her quietest voice, “I think I may be developing some…romantic feelings for Ben.”

“Who’s Ben?” asked Poe.

“You mean your boss?” asked Finn.

“MR SOLO?!” Rose practically screeched. Rey’s eyes widened in alarm and she would have lunged toward her to friend to strangle her, had said friend not been pregnant. Luckily, a quick glance around showed that nobody seemed to have heard Rose, or if they had, they’d ignored her. Probably because they were used to tuning out her and Rey’s spirited conversations by now, given how often Rey visited her friend’s cubicle.

“Yes, Mr Solo,” Rey confirmed. “Things are getting…confusing with him. Ever since I chewed him out for being a bad host, he’s been nothing but charming and it’s swoon worthy, to be honest.”

Rose opened her mouth, most likely to squeal, but stopped herself at the warning look on Rey’s face. Instead, she took a quick breath before asking, “What is he making you swoon over?”

“Picnics in the park. Taking me out of the office for lunch. Buying me things constantly. I don’t mean that to sound…gold-diggery, but he buys me _food_. It makes me feel like a princess.”

Finn snorted. “Only you would feel like royalty because someone buys you _food._ ”

Rey chose to ignore that. “It’s getting bad, you guys. He took me out to lunch just now and when I told him about my history with food, he said ‘I can make sure you never go hungry again.’”

Poe wolf whistled. That did get some of their coworkers’ attention, but they all looked away again when they noticed whose cubicle the noise had originated in.

“What did he mean by that?” Rose asked.

“No clue! Almost immediately after he said it, he started blushing and blathering on about some nonsense like he’s my boss and he can make sure I’m eating because he sees me everyday. And then I was feeling so awkward that I basically just ran, straight here to you three.”

“It sounds like you need to talk to him,” said Poe.

“And say what?!”

“‘Mr Solo, I think I have the hots for you. Do you have the hots for me too?’”

“I don’t call him Mr Solo.”

“What do you call him?!” Rose gasped.

“Oh my god. I can’t do this.” Rey stood up from her chair. “I love you guys, but I need to take a break from talking about it.”

“You will keep us updated though, won’t you, peanut?” asked Finn, reaching out his hand for her to take.

She squeezed his hand. “I will. I just need some time to think.”

And indeed, Rey thought about it all day. She thought about how kind Ben had been to offer her his home in the first place. He needn’t have done that. And yes, he’d been rude to her in the beginning, but she knew now he’d just been nervous around her – and he’d been so sweet and thoughtful ever since then. He really had been treating her like a princess ever since then. The point was, she felt safe and comfortable, and happy and good, when she was in Ben’s presence. He never made her feel like he was the boss and she was the employee when they were together. He was just…Ben. And she liked Ben. A lot.

The question was, did he like her? She was pretty sure he did. There had always been signs. But what if she confessed her feelings for him and then had to suffer through him letting her down gently? She wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand the sheer mortification. Especially since Jannah and Kaydel weren’t coming home for another week and a half. There was no way she could stay with Ben for a week and a half after he turned her down.

Maybe it wasn’t necessary for them to talk about their feelings at all. Or at least not until after she moved out. That way, if he did let her down, she could avoid him more easily if they only had to see each other around the office.

Yeah…that made the most sense. She could wait a week and a half. Of course she could….

REY: Oh my god. Oh my god oh my god.

ROSE: ???

REY: I’m on a YACHT. Ben surprised me!!

ROSE: WHAT OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS

REY: Ben surprised me! He took me here after work and it’s so extravagant. And there’s dinner prepared and everything. I’m flipping out! What do I do??

ROSE: GO! GET! YOUR! MEAL!

REY: Ok ok, I will….wish me luck…!

ROSE: LUCK!!!!!

Rey took a deep breath and tucked her phone into the pocket of her jeans. She honestly had no idea what to do. She was on this gorgeous yacht with her _boss_ and she was dressed in her work clothes – jeans and a blouse which made her feel so out of place surrounded by all this extravagance. Ben’s limo had picked them up from work as usual this afternoon, but instead of taking them back to Ben’s place as usual, it had taken them to the marina instead. Rey had been too stunned to say much, and when they’d boarded she’d only had enough presence of mind to stammer out “Where’s the bathroom?” As soon as Ben had pointed it out, she’d fled and called Rose.

What was she supposed to do now? Go out there and have a normal dinner with Ben and act like it was just another ordinary evening together in his brownstone? Try to act like her boss bringing to her to a yacht for dinner as a surprise was something normal?

“Rey? Are you alright?” she heard Ben call from outside the door. 

Oh, fuck. Well, it looked like she had to face her fears now. She took another deep breath and swung open the door.

“I’m fine. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“No problem. Are you hungry?”

“Always.” She followed Ben back down the hallway to the dining room.

“Good. I actually – I made your favorite.”

Rey paused midstep. “You made…grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup?”

“Well.” Ben rubbed the side of his neck with one hand, looking a bit sheepish. “Not really me, because I was at work and I couldn’t. But I have a friend who’s a chef, and –”

Rey couldn’t help the stunned giggle that escaped her at that. “You had a professional chef make us soup and sandwiches?”

“….Yes.”

“Well, then let’s have at it! Like I said, I’m starving.” And eating would provide her with a distraction, so she’d have time to think of what to say next without embarrassing herself.

So of course, she spilled tomato soup on her blouse.

“Oh,” said Ben quietly when he noticed. “Can I, um, can I help you with that?”

“What? Oh. Um…” Rey dabbed at the stain with her napkin, but succeeded in nothing but rubbing the stain in even further. Sighing, she decided the best option was to remove it before she could spill anything else – she had on a white spaghetti strap underneath.

“Oh…” said Ben again, when she began unbuttoning and removing the blouse. She looked up at him curiously and saw that his face was a fierce shade of red. Was he embarrassed? Whatever for? She looked down at herself but could see nothing out of the ordinary, it was just a spaghetti strap shirt and –

“Ben, what’s wrong?”

“I, um.” Ben cleared his throat and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I’m really sorry.”

“No, you don’t have to…apologize. I mean.” Rey could feel a blush spreading across her own face as well. “Ben, can I ask you something? What did you mean tonight to be? Was this meant to be a date?”

Holy shit, she couldn’t believe she’d just said that – so much for her plan not to ask him until later. It had just slipped out!

Ben looked like a deer in headlights now. After several tense seconds of silence, he squeezed his eyes shut and released a deep, shaky breath. “Would you be mad if I said yes?”

“What? No, of course not. I – I’ve really enjoyed tonight. And all our other…dates? If those were meant to be dates.”

“I wanted them to be. I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to.” Ben had opened his eyes now and locked his gaze with hers. It was mesmerizing; she could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical touch.

“I wanted them to be. Why didn’t you ask me before?”

“I was nervous.”

“I told you before, you don’t have to be nervous around me.”

“It wasn’t just that. It’s also that I, um, I didn’t ask HR if it was ok for you to live with me before I invited you to.”

Rey’s jaw dropped. Ben seemed to take that for a bad sign, because he quickly began to ramble an explanation about his intentions. “I didn’t think this through at all. I just wanted to help you and…well…I wasn’t really sure how to go about it because I’d had a crush on you since the day you started working at Organa Enterprises and I didn’t want to come across as creepy and if I involved HR I’d have to tell you about it and I was worried that would – seem creepy…” His voice trailed off then, apparently having noticed the smile forming on Rey’s face.

“You’ve had a crush on me for that long? Really?”

“I thought it was obvious.”

“Not at all! I didn’t even talk to you for the first time until that day in the kitchen at work.”

“You never noticed me staring at you in the hallway? Or opening drawers for you in the kitchen? I was always worried I was being too obvious and that I might make you uncomfortable. When I invited you to live with me, I don’t – I don’t even know what I was thinking. I just wanted to spend more time with you. Which I knew on some level was really inappropriate –”

“It would only be inappropriate if you made it so,” Rey interrupted. “Ben, why didn’t you just tell me you liked me? We could’ve been dating for a long time already.”

“I didn’t want to put pressure on you,” Ben mumbled. “I’m your boss, I didn’t want you to feel obligated or under duress, or…anything like that.”

Rey smiled. “You’re very sweet. But I promise, I don’t feel pressured. I like you very much. And not because you’re my boss. Because you’re you.” She stood up from her chair and walked across to his side of the table. Ben stared up at her with wide eyes as she approached, and continued to do so while she lowered herself into his lap. “Is this ok?”

She could literally hear Ben swallow. “It’s more than ok. It’s great.”

“Great.” And then she kissed him.

Everything that happened after that felt like it happened in a haze. She simultaneously felt like everything happening to her was a fever dream, while at the same time she’d never felt more alive, more…present.

Ben’s hands slid slowly all over her body, as if he had to prove to himself that this – that she – was real by touching everything of hers he could reach. His mouth moved both slowly and urgently against her own, like he wanted to make this last but was at the same time was afraid she would disappear. Rey felt like she was overheating. This was both too much and not enough. Overwhelmed, she broke apart from Ben, her heart thudding in her chest when she heard the whine of protest leave his mouth.

“Ben,” she told him, barely able to speak due to how hard she was breathing. “I’m here, I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You just don’t seem real to me,” he replied, his eyes raking up and down her body again and leaving a trail of goosebumps along Rey’s skin in response. “I don’t think I could ever dream someone as perfect as you, and yet you’re not a dream, you’re the most wonderful version of reality I’ve ever experienced.”

Rey’s heart was about to beat out of her chest. “I’m real. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. You can enjoy this.”

“Oh. I intend to.” And then he was lifting her up, hooking her legs around his hips and pressing his mouth back to hers before she even realized what was happening.

There was a bedroom down the hall from the kitchen, and that was where Ben carried her. He laid her down on the bed like she was something precious, and stared down at her while he stood at the edge of the bed. He stared at her ravenously, like he wanted to devour her, and Rey gave a full body shudder of anticipation.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, and then: “Will you marry me?”

Her heart skipped a beat. Surely she’d heard him wrong. “What?”

“Marry me. Please. I can’t imagine another day without you.” His voice was so soft, but so full of intent. He truly meant what he was asking.

She stared back at him, at the way his gaze was locked onto hers, staring at her like she was the answer to his most fervent prayers. She thought about the wonderful way he’d made her feel these past several days, how safe and taken care of in a way she’d never experienced. Was it too fast, too soon? Certainly. Was that going to change her mind? No, it wasn’t.

“Of course I’ll marry you. Now come here, fiancé.”

Ben didn’t waste another second.

REY: So…I have something to tell you.

ROSE: ???

REY: I’m getting married.

ROSE: MRS SOLO?!?!


End file.
